


Lionhearted Loyalty

by Pixiemage



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-11-01 04:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10914645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixiemage/pseuds/Pixiemage
Summary: He was finally home. Loke felt, rather than saw, the star of Regulus grow in its brilliance, briefly burning brighter than it ever had in its history. The return of Leo was felt by the cosmo...and the sensation of regaining a part of his full power for the first time in what felt like an age was one he wouldn’t soon forget. He raised his hands before his eyes, turning them over slowly, summoning his light magic - his Regulus magic - watching as that familiar, warm, golden glow surrounded his closed fists. A soft laugh bubbled up from his chest; the gentlest of smiles appeared on his lips. He was finally, finally back.And it was all thanks to Lucy.Lucy, who had all but sacrificed herself so Loke would live. Lucy, who had convinced him living was worthwhile. Lucy, who had shown more love and compassion for her spirits than any Celestial Wizard Leo had ever known. Lucy, who had done the impossible, who had summoned all her spirits at once, who had gained an audience with the Spirit King himself just because she cared.Lucy Heartfilia...who was beginning to capture the feline’s heart.(A retelling of the story you know...but with a heavy dose of lionhearted adoration to change things up.)





	1. How To Return Home

The Celestial Spirit world slowly faded into existence around Loke, accompanied by a wave of emotions he really should have been expecting. Three years...three long, painful years...he had almost forgotten just how beautiful it was. The interstellar dance of blues and greens and purples, the planetoids floating lazily across the star-strewn sky. The once lordly lion became choked up at the sight he believed he would never see again. He was  _ home _ .

Just as he was beginning to accept that this was real, that he was actually still alive, a warm pulse of raw power rushed through him and he staggered, gasping. The pain that had become a constant companion since his exile, began to fade for the first time in years. Loke felt, rather than saw, the star of Regulus grow in its brilliance, briefly burning brighter than it ever had in its history. The return of Leo was felt by the cosmo...and the sensation of regaining a part of his full power for the first time in what felt like an age was one he wouldn’t soon forget.

Loke raised his hands before his eyes, turning them over slowly, summoning his light magic - his Regulus magic - watching as that familiar, warm, golden glow surrounded his closed fists. A soft laugh bubbled up from his chest; the gentlest of smiles appeared on his lips. He was finally,  _ finally _ back.

And it was all thanks to Lucy.

Lucy, who had all but sacrificed herself so Loke would live. Lucy, who had convinced him living was worthwhile. Lucy, who had shown more love and compassion for her spirits than any Celestial Wizard Leo had ever known. Lucy, who had done the impossible, who had summoned all her spirits at once, who had gained an audience with the Spirit King himself just because she  _ cared _ .

Lucy Heartfilia...who was beginning to capture the feline’s heart.

That thought sent his mind reeling, but he didn’t have much time to think on it before a soft voice from nearby caught his attention.

 

“Leo?”

 

Loke’s head snapped around, and his eyes widened when he caught sight of Aries. She was standing a few yards away, wide eyes brimming with unshed tears. Her expression wavered between emotions...hesitance, joy, and shock, all in one. It seemed as though she was torn between approaching him and staying her distance...and the lion knew if he wasn’t careful he might scare her off. He smiled softly and turned toward her, arms slightly extended to offer a hug.

“It’s really me,” he told her. “I promise. I’m real.”

“Leo…” The little lamb darted forward, all but tackling him with her hug. She buried her face in his chest and clung tightly to him. “I’m s-sorry. I’m so sorry. They s-said you would never come b-back. They said you were s-sentenced to death. I’m s-sorry…”

“Hey, hey,” Loke shook his head, speaking softly. He hugged her back just as tightly. “What are you apologizing for?”

“I...I wasn’t strong enough...to stand up to her…” Aries’ words were muffled in his t-shirt, and Loke’s breath caught. “I’m sorry. If I had...been stronger...you wouldn’t have had to s-save me, and you wouldn’t have been–”

“No Aries,” Loke said firmly. He rested his chin atop her head and gently ran a hand over her back, trying to soothe her. “It wasn’t your fault. Don’t you dare blame yourself. What happened to Karen was...an accident.” He remembered Lucy’s words, her insistence that Karen’s death didn’t rest on his shoulders. It was an accident. He let out a soft breath, the air drifting gently across the pink strands of hair atop Aries’ head. “It’s not your fault I was exiled, and it’s not your fault Karen died. If anyone is to blame for my banishment, it’s me.”

“Sorry…” Aries murmured again, and all Loke could do was chuckle. Apologizing again, as she always did.

The lion hugged her a little tighter, still hardly believing that he was seeing her again. After his banishment, he had thought he wouldn’t see any of his friends again, any of his family. He had avoided Celestial Spirit mages so he wouldn’t run into his fellow spirits by accident...because he didn’t want them to see how weak he was, how poor his health was. He didn’t want them to see his suffering. They didn’t deserve that. He wanted their last memories of him to be good ones. But then Lucy had walked into his life...and despite how often he had run from her, he couldn’t help it when he kept coming back to her in what he believed to be his final days. He wanted somebody to know his truth, somebody who would care. Somebody to be there for him – but in the end he had decided he didn’t deserve even that. Unintentional or no, he had killed his master. He had killed Karen. He deserved all the suffering in the world for that.

And yet Lucy had found him, had come anyway. She had figured him out far quicker than he had expected her to, and she had changed his odds completely. She had demolished his death sentence, had given him new hope. Mere minutes had passed since she had saved his life and already her message had become permanently etched in his mind. He could atone for what he had done...death was not what he deserved. She had given him a new purpose to live for, and had helped him take much needed steps toward moving on from his guilt. And now…

“Don’t apologize,” Loke said, finally stepping back from Aries, who stared up at him with shining eyes. He smiled down at her. “I’m the leader of the Zodiac. It’s my job to make sure my family is safe. I did what I had to, and...I don’t regret keeping you from harm.”

 

He surely regretted what it had led to, but that was a thought for another day.

 

“Leo!”

“Is that really him?”

“Sir Leo has returned!”

“Welcome back, man!”

One by one, the other Zodiac Spirits were arriving, all of them looking absolutely ecstatic to have their friend and leader back. Or...most of them. Aquarius’ expression was peeved at best, but Loke could see a smile creeping into her eyes. He grinned brilliantly.

“It’s good to be back,” he agreed, accepting each hug and greeting and pat on the back in turn.

“You look different, man,” Scorpio commented, exchanging a familiar and somewhat complicated handshake with the lion. “What’s up with your ‘do?”

“My…?” Loke reached up to his hair, confused...then realized what Scorpio meant. “Right. It’s my human form. I’ve gotten so used to it, I’d almost forgotten…”

He took a step back, closing his eyes, and drew on the magic he hadn’t had access to in three whole years. With a brilliant golden glow his entire appearance and attire changed, from jeans and an oversized green jacket to a fashionable suit, and from short ginger hair to a thick orange mane. His piercings vanished...but the blue sunglasses, he decided to keep. They served as a reminder of his times in Fairy Tail, a reminder that he was still a member of that guild. Besides...they did look pretty cool. When he opened his eyes, Loke smirked at Scorpio and tucked his hands neatly in his pockets.

“Better?”

Scorpio grinned and nodded.

“That’s more like it. Nothin’ against human-you, but I like you better with that crazy hair.”

“Heh, you’re not the only one.” Loke ran a hand through the untamable locks with a charming smile. “If I recall, the ladies often find it attractive as well…”

“If you say so,” Scorpio snickered. “Maybe those years in Earthland have screwed with your head, lion man.”

Libra looked to Leo with a question in her gaze, and Loke had a feeling he knew what she was going to ask.

“I have heard...it was a human who brought you back?” she asked. “A Celestial Spirit mage?”

“Lucy, yeah,” Loke nodded, and he could see the recognition in the eyes of the spirits that the blonde had contracts with. Aquarius looked less than pleased.

“Tch, she’s a fool,” the rather moody woman bit out. “Summoning all of us out at once? She could have killed herself. Idiot.”

“I tried to tell her not to.” Loke shrugged and his smile took on a touch of admiration. “But she refused to listen to me. She’s...something else. Lucy is a lot stronger than anyone gives her credit for.”

“That doesn’t make her any less of an idiot.”

“If I might say, I don’t believe Lady Lucy is an idiot,” Sagittarius piped up, giving Aquarius a small salute. “She is clever, and is incredibly intelligent in many situations. She is, however, quite prone to put others before herself, even at her own risk.”

“Oh please,” Aquarius rolled her eyes, swimming through the air toward Scorpio and resting an arm on his shoulder. “Lucy is insufferable at best. She needs to get her head on straight, or one of these days she’ll get herself killed.”

“You’re always so harsh on Miss Luuuuucy, Aquarius,” Taurus folded his arms over his chest and his expression became bright and a little too pleased. “I think she’s beauuuuutiful. She’s got a hot body, and her booooobs are–”

The pervy bull was silenced by a sudden tidal wave sweeping him off the planetoid they were standing on and blasting him a few orbs over.

“Go cool off, you pervert,” Aquarius bit out, looking annoyed.

Loke’s expression tightened and his mouth narrowed to a thin line. A sudden coldness filled his gaze, and he felt a very strong urge to go over and set the bull straight with a Regulus Impact or two.

“Lucy wasn’t lying,” he muttered. “Does Taurus talk about her like this all the time?”

“As often as he sees her,” Virgo supplied, nodding. “Princess often gets quite annoyed and fed up with his antics, but he’s loyal, so she puts up with it.”

“Good to know.” The lion filed that little tidbit away for later. Perhaps that was something that needed to be changed. Disrespecting Lucy like that…? As Taurus made his way back to the group, Loke made to speak up, but an all-too-familiar tug in his chest drew his attention instead. A summons. He smiled.

“I’ll be right back,” he announced. “Lucy’s calling me.”

As if to back up this statement, an intricate stone archway appeared behind him. He strode toward it, changing his appearance back to human as Lucy’s voice echoed softly through the gate.

 

_ “Open...gate of the lion...Leo!” _

 

“Princess is summoning you?” Virgo asked, her head tilting slightly to the side. Leo glanced back at her over his blue shades.

“Didn’t I tell you?” he commented idly, the faintest of smirks playing across his lips. “She made a contract with me.”

With those parting words, Loke stepped through his gate in a brilliant golden light.  
  


 

 

Much to his surprise, it was Lucy’s apartment that Loke found himself in. She was seated at her desk, the Lion Key in hand, and she smiled brightly when he appeared. Loke looked around with a soft smirk.

“Well well well, guess this is your place, huh?” he commented. “You know, I’d been hoping to see your bedroom a lot sooner...if you know what I mean.” He winked, and Lucy’s jaw dropped.

“You’d better not be suggesting what I think you are!” she snapped, on her feet and in his face in an instant. She raised a hand as though to slap him. He laughed and held up both hands in surrender.

“No! No, geez, I’m kidding! I swear!” Loke said rapidly. His smile never wavered, and his eyes brightened even more at the fire that he saw in Lucy. He hadn’t allowed himself to get close to her until recently...but even from a distance he had noticed the ferocity beneath her sweet exterior. It was impressive to say the least.

“Keep it in your pants,” Lucy bit out. Loke didn’t miss the soft pink tinge to her cheeks before she turned away.

“Sorry,” he apologized sheepishly, tucking his hands in his pockets. “Old habits…”

“You’re alright.” Lucy’s tone had softened, and when she turned back to him she was smiling again. “You look better.”

“I feel better,” Loke agreed, taking it upon himself to drop into one of the chairs at her table. “I’d almost forgotten what it felt like, having access to my magic. My full power. I’d gotten used to relying on my ring magic. Holder’s magic is good and all, but Celestial Spirit power is – it’s so much more.” He held up a fist, and a brilliant golden glow surrounded his clenched hand. “Magic power drawn directly from the stars themselves. It’s warm and bright, comforting almost. At least...mine is.” He let his hand fall and he snickered, flashing Lucy a knowing look. “I wouldn’t call Aquarius’ magic warm."

“It definitely isn’t,” Lucy shook her head with a humorous smile. Her eyes lingered on Loke’s hand. She had never seen his true magic before...but...perhaps another time. “Listen, there’s a reason I summoned you.”

“Couldn’t get enough of my rugged good looks?” Loke teased, smirking at her over his shades. Lucy scoffed.

“No.” She rolled her eyes, but her smile remained. “It’s because people have been worried about you. I told Gray you were alright, but he wanted to know what happened. And I wasn’t sure if it was my place to tell them.” She met his gaze. “I wanted to ask if you were okay with them knowing you’re a Celestial Spirit?”

Loke was floored. He blinked at her, amazed, again, at the way she treated her spirits...as equals.

“You want to make sure...I’m okay with it?” he repeated.

“Of course! After all, it’s not my secret to tell. I’m not about to go blabbing about my friend’s secret identity without his permission!"  


“Your friend...” Loke’s expression softened and he smiled, his gaze falling to the table’s surface. “You really are something special.” This time he didn’t notice Lucy’s blush. “Yeah, you can tell them. In fact I can come with you if you want. I wouldn’t mind seeing everybody again before I head back to recuperate. Three years is a long time to stay in the human world, but I think I can handle another hour or two.”

“Are you sure? You still look a little pale.”

“I’ll be fine,” he waved it off. His cocky grin reappeared. “I’m Leo, remember? Leader of the Zodiac. I can handle a little time away from home. But if you’re worried why don’t we head over to the guild right now, just to be safe?”

Loke stood and pocketed his hands, striding over to Lucy’s door and holding it open for her.

“After you, Master.” His words held a flirtatious tone.

“Just Lucy is fine…” Lucy tried not to let him get to her, making a slight detour to her desk to grab her keys before exiting the apartment.  
  
  


 

Loke watched Lucy balance on the stone wall between the street and the river, trailing behind her a few steps but ready to catch her if she started to fall.

“You know, this is a lot more peaceful than I’m used to,” Lucy commented idly, glancing back over her shoulder and shooting Loke a bright smile.

“What do you mean?”

“Well usually one of a few things happens. Either Natsu shows up and causes a ruckus, or Gray  _ and _ Natsu show up and they start fighting. Or it’s Wendy and Carla, but Happy shows up and ends up making a scene. And every once in awhile I get startled by somebody trying to make me fall into the river.” She laughed lightly. “And normally, any conversation I’ve had with  _ you _ has ended in me slapping you or you running away screaming.”

“Hey, I never screamed,” Loke defended himself firmly. “Running away, sure. But screaming? Never.”

“I’m pretty sure you screamed the first time you found out I was a Celestial Wizard.”

“Well–” Loke paused, thinking. “...did I?”

“Very loudly,” Lucy giggled. “I believe your words were, ‘Curse you fate! Why must you do this to me!’ ...or something like that. It was rather dramatic.”

“I was panicking, alright?” Loke hunched his shoulders and looked away from her. “You try to keep your composure in a situation like that. It’s not so easy to be smooth when you’re facing your worst fear.”

“Oh, I’m your  _ worst fear _ am I?” Lucy teased, turning around to walk backward on the wall. Loke eyed her feet warily. She really should be more careful.

“You used to be, sort of,” he shrugged. “I was terrified of running into any Celestial Wizards. In fact, I joined Fairy Tail because I knew they didn’t have any...but then you showed up…and that kind of threw a wrench in the works.”

“Oh…” Lucy looked pensive, still being mindful of where she stepped. “...why? I mean, why were you scared of seeing a Celestial Wizard?”

“I didn’t want to be recognized,” Loke muttered. Behind his shades, his eyes dimmed a little, “Part of the reason, was that I didn’t want my cover to be blown. I didn’t want anyone to know who I really was. A part of me thought that if anyone from Blue Pegasus saw me, they’d instantly recognize me as one of Karen’s spirits...and they all knew what was going on before she died.” He winced and stopped walking. Lucy paused in her own steps as well. “But the better reason, I didn’t want to run into any other Celestial  _ Spirits. _ I didn’t want the other Zodiac Spirits to realize how much the human world was taking its toll. I didn’t want them to see me like that. Because if they knew just how bad it was – Aries…” Loke finally looked up to Lucy then, and she saw more of that deep, aching hurt she had witnessed in him the night before by Karen’s grave. “You should have seen her, Lucy. When I got back to the Celestial world, all she could do was apologize over and over. She blamed herself for what happened to me even though it wasn’t her fault. If she knew that I was in that much pain, it would have broken her heart. I can’t do that to her, or to any of them. Stars–”

Lucy gasped softly as she watched Loke turn away, one hand coming up to wipe furiously at the tears that he didn’t want to shed. His sunglasses hung loosely from the fingers of his other hand. He didn’t see Lucy when she finally stepped down from the stone wall, and didn’t even realize she had come closer until she was right in front of him, hugging him tightly.

“I’m sorry for asking,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

The lion stared down at his master with a look of gentle admiration and care. Even without the bond they shared through his key, he could hear the genuineness in her words, the care in her tone. After a moment he hugged her back, held her close, taking a deep shuddering breath as he did so.

“You don’t have to apologize,” he shook his head. “Really. It’s fine. I think I needed to let it out anyway.”

“Maybe you did…but even so...” Lucy stepped back a little, smiling up at him. “Is Aries alright?”

“She...yeah, I think so,” Loke nodded quickly, pulling on a smile of his own. He slipped his sunglasses back into place and glanced away. “She was pretty happy that I was back. I’ll talk to her more once I’m home, but she was smiling when I left. So I’d say that’s a good sign.”

“Good.” Lucy tried to catch his eyes again. “Now, the important question. Do you still think I’m your worst fear, Leo?”

Loke snorted, then laughed, his hands back in his pockets and his mood taking a full turnaround.

“Heh, nope. Not anymore,” he chuckled, a humorous light back in his eyes. “In fact, you’re more like my guardian angel.”

“If that’s another pick-up line, I swear, I’m gonna push you right into the river and–”

“It’s not. Not this time. I’m serious, Lucy.” Loke was still grinning. “You saved me. I can never thank you enough for that.”

“...oh.” Lucy blinked, then smiled. It was rare to see this more genuine side of Loke...but she had to admit...it was a nice change. “You’re welcome. But you don’t owe me anything. It’s what friends are supposed to do for each other.”

“What, risk their lives to save each other?” Loke asked. He continued on down the street leaving Lucy to catch up. “Huh. Guess that just means I’ll have to start saving your life too.”

“Hopefully not anytime soon,” Lucy said as she leapt back up onto the stone wall. “You need rest. I’m not summoning you for a while, alright? Just today.”

“I told you, I’m fine,” Loke grinned back at her. “Don’t bench me, coach.”

“I’m not budging on this one. You need time to get your strength back. Three years in the human world is no picnic, even for the Leader of the Zodiac. You almost died yesterday. Besides, I have other spirits who can protect me until you’re ready to fight again.”

“Lucyyyy,” Loke groaned. He put on his best puppy-dog eyes. “I’m okay, I promise. Don’t do this to me. I’m supposed to be here for you, aren’t I? Even the Spirit King said so.”

“Don’t give me that look! I just don’t want you getting hurt because of me!”

“I won’t get hurt. C’mon, give me more credit than that.”

“Why do I feel like a mother telling her child he can’t go to the park?” Lucy grumbled, stepping off the stone wall once more as it came to an end.

 

 

Loke continued begging and pleading with increasing overdramatics as they wound their way through the streets of Magnolia, and by the time the pair reached Fairy Tail, he was having a hard time fighting back his own laughter. As Lucy stepped into the half-finished building, Loke fell at her feet, grabbing her right leg and raising his voice to draw the attention of everyone in the vicinity.

“Lucy, my love! Don’t break my heart like this! How could you hurt me in such a way? Don’t go off to battle without your most valuable and most loyal companion! Please, I beg of you, don’t turn me away! Oh, sweet love of my life...I’ll do anything, I swear it! Anything you wish! I’ll be your obedient pet, and you–”

“OH MY GOD! SHUT UP!” Lucy snapped, trying desperately to tug her leg free of his grip. “Stop this, RIGHT NOW, or I’m sending you back to the Spirit World and doing this  _ without you!” _

“What the  _ hell _ is going on?!” It was Gray, standing shirtless by the bar, his eyes about popping out of his head. And suddenly Loke was back to normal, popping to his feet and slinging an arm around Lucy’s shoulders.

“Your clothes, Gray…” Mirajane murmured, and the ice mage was quick to remedy the issue.

“Oh, hey Gray,” Loke grinned, waving with his free hand as his friend tugged his shirt back on. “Nothing much. Just spending some time with my lady love–”

“Do you  _ want _ me to slap you?” Lucy folded her arms over her chest and glared at the lion, who smiled sheepishly down at her and backed off a bit. His hands found their way to his pockets again.

“I’m serious!” Gray exclaimed. He was eyeing the pair with an extremely questioning look. “I need answers, so somebody had better start talking!”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Loke piped up before Lucy could get a word in edgewise. “Lucy’s my new master.”

“Your new–” Gray blinked, closed his eyes, shook his head, and opened them again, as though hoping that doing so would change what he was witnessing. “Mas...ter..?”

“Loke’s a Celestial Spirit,” Lucy huffed, hoping to save her friend from a mental break. “He’s one of the Zodiac, Leo the Lion. And as of last night, I have his key, which means I’m his master. Not that that’s a term I like to use,” she pointed out to Loke, who nodded in understanding.

“Just Lucy. Right. I’ll remember that.”

“You’re–” Gray took a long moment to register this information. “...why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“It’s...a long story…” Loke looked away and his voice softened. “I figured pretending to be human was the easiest way to live, after what happened.”

“What do you mean?”

There was a long silence, and Lucy realized that it had been hard for Loke to tell the whole story to her the first time...so telling it again couldn’t be easy. She stepped forward and took a spot near Gray at the bar.

“Something happened, with his last keyholder,” she explained. “Something...bad. And even though it wasn’t really his fault, Loke was punished for it. He was exiled from the Celestial Spirit world and trapped here, in the human world.”

“Exiled?” Mirajane gasped softly, eyes widening in sympathy. “Oh, you poor thing…”

Loke strolled toward the bar but didn’t say a word. He was more than grateful to Lucy for speaking on his behalf, and glad she wasn’t going into detail. He would tell Gray later, and maybe Makarov ought to know. But for now...he wasn’t sure he wanted anyone else to know about Karen, and he didn’t want to be treated any differently for what had happened. He was still Loke. He was still their friend. They had just unlocked a new part of his backstory, that was all.

“Wait, but didn’t you tell me once that spirits can’t stay in the human world for long?” Gray asked, confusion in his eyes. Lucy nodded. He  _ had  _ listened.

“Mhm, they normally can’t,” she agreed. “For most spirits, an entire day can be exhausting to them. For some of the stronger ones, a week would begin to hurt. But Loke is the leader of the Zodiac Spirits. He can do things other spirits can’t. But even so…” Lucy looked down at her lap, remembering what he had looked like by Karen’s grave. She remembered how weak he had been, remembered the pain he was in. “...Loke had been living here for three years. I didn’t even know a spirit could survive that long out here.”

“I didn’t either, honestly,” Loke said, speaking up for the first time since Lucy had started to explain everything. Gray looked to him with shock in his eyes. “I didn’t know how long I’d last. I went on a lot of jobs to keep myself busy. I kept myself distracted to try and avoid thinking about it. But...well…” He chuckled dryly. “Three years. I knew I was dying. I didn’t have much time left.”

“That’s why you told Makarov you were going to leave Fairy Tail...isn’t it?” Gray realized. Loke nodded.

“I wanted to make sure nobody looked for me,” he admitted. “Not that they would find me if they did. When Celestial Spirits die, we don’t leave a body behind. We just...turn into stardust. But then Lucy found me, and somehow...she saved me. She found a way for me to go back, and my key was put into her hands. I trust–”

There was a lot of loud banging in the distance, a few shouts and crashes, and all of a sudden Natsu came careening into view with Happy barely keeping up behind him. He was doubled over, panting, and when he finally caught his breath he made a beeline for Loke and gripped him by the front of his jacket.

“Did I...just...h-hear...right?” he panted, his breathing slowly evening out. “I just heard – I was at the market, and – well, I heard your voice, knew you were back and–” Loke blinked owlishly at him and tugged out of Natsu’s grip, waiting for him to get to the point. “You’re a Celestial Spirit??”

“Sorry I didn’t tell ya before,” Loke said sheepishly, nodding and rubbing at the back of his head.

“Aha!” Natsu darted forward again, inspecting every inch of him, as though trying to spot something that he had missed, something that would have been a dead giveaway as to who Loke really was. “So that must be why I felt so weird whenever we switched bodies, huh?”

“Y-Yeah, I guess so…” Loke smiled at Natsu, trying not to show the minute strain in his response. God, the day they had all switched bodies...he had been so worried that they would be stuck like that, not just because he had no idea how to use Fire Dragon magic, but also because he wasn’t sure what it would do to Natsu. His body wasn’t made to last in the human world. He still couldn’t believe Natsu had been lucky enough not to experience one of his lapses of pain while they were switched. That would have been awful.

“Gotta say, I’m surprised I never caught on to you,” Gray commented. His expression was fairly neutral. The lion couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in his closest friend’s mind because of all of this.

“How come you’re not a cow or a horse or a crab?” Natsu asked, obviously more focussed on the important questions. “You’re just a dude.”

“Virgo has a human form too. It’s not like we’re all animals,” Loke pointed out with a grin.

“You say that, but I’ve seen her turn into a  _ gorilla!” _

“She’s not  _ really _ a gorilla…”

“Loke here is actually a lion spirit!” Lucy chimed in, telling Natsu and Happy since they hadn’t been there for the explanation earlier.

“Seriously?!” Natsu sounded shocked.

“A lion’s like a grown-up cat, right?!” Happy this time, and the awed and adoring expression in his little eyes was just too much for Loke not to oblige.

“Yep, you got it!” he said cheerfully – which, much to his surprise, earned a shout in response from Lucy.

“DON’T LIE TO HIM!”

But Happy was already too overjoyed to hear her, perching himself on Loke’s shoulder and cuddling up close to him.

“You’re the coolest spirit ever~”

The lion was actually a little flattered by the rather adorable display of affection.

“Shouldn’t you be resting up back in the Celestial World right now?” Gray asked him, approaching him while Natsu and Happy were occupied with their own thoughts. Despite this new turn of events, Gray still considered Loke one of his closest friends. They had always gotten along fairly well, and knowing that he was here in the human world even though he had almost died here the night before, he couldn’t help but care.

“I’m doing a lot better than I was,” Loke assured him. “I just wanted to come say hi. Well...that, and...I couldn’t wait to see Lucy again…”

Loke cast a glance toward Lucy out of the corner of his eye, curious to see how his honest admittance affected her. He was rewarded with a soft blush which she was doing a fairly good job of hiding...until Happy flew over to her.

“He loooooves you!” the cat teased, and Lucy almost swatted the feline out of the air.

“Shut it, cat, or you’re gonna get hurt–EEP!”

Loke had taken the opportunity to scoop her up bridal-style, and without even asking if it was alright with her, he started making his way toward the exit.

“Excuse us, we need to have a little chat about our future together!” he announced to the group at large, speaking over the scattered protests coming from the blonde in his arms. He was referring to the contract that he and Lucy still needed to make...but if the others took it to mean more than that, then he found he really didn’t mind all too much. 

“What are you doing?!” Lucy shrieked, squirming to get out of his grip. “PUT ME DOWN!”

“What if I like carrying you like this?” Loke said with an air of nonchalance. “If I have to keep you safe, wouldn’t keeping you with me be the best way to go about it?”

“Not on your  _ life _ .” Lucy looked as though she might add in another retort, but something Natsu and Happy were saying caught her attention first and she finally fought her way out of Loke’s arms. Something about spirits and dragons and magic…? He hadn’t really been paying attention.

“You don’t summon spirits just to practice your magic on ‘em!” she snapped, glaring daggers at the pair. Oh, so that’s what it was. He took advantage of her distraction to corner her in his arms, flashing a winning, charming smile down at her.

“That’s right! You summon ‘em when you need some lovin’~”

He heard Gray chuckle somewhere across the room and knew the ice mage could tell it was a joke...though apparently Lucy didn’t catch on, because she immediately put up a hand to cut him off.

“I think you’d better go back now.” Oops...maybe one flirt too far? But instead, she held up his key. “You’ve gotta be careful, because you’re not back to full strength yet.” ...oh. Or that. Realizing he might as well get on his way shortly anyway, he dug around in his pockets in search of something he had picked up right before showing up in Lucy’s apartment.

“I got ya something,” he murmured, pulling out five tickets and showing them to her. “Here you go.”

Lucy stepped out of his arms and reached out for the tickets, her curiosity getting the best of her.

“What are those?” she asked. Gray and Natsu came to join them, also wanting to know what Loke had given her.

“They’re tickets to this awesome beach resort.” Loke was grinning, knowing full well that the entire group would be excited about this. “You did so much for me...it’s the least I could do.”

The response was immediate.

“The beach?!” Lucy gasped loudly, her eyes going bright and shiny...and even over Gray’s shocked exclamation of “I’ve never been to a place like that before!” his gaze never left her. She looked so happy, so bright. Her entire face lit up with excitement...and the way she danced around in joy was just too adorable. He chuckled a little, finally drawing himself from distraction. “I hope you guys have a good time. I still need to give Erza her ticket–”

Though as he caught sight of the redhead, he realized he really needn’t have worried about it. Erza was, astonishingly, already fully packed and ready to go, as though the words “Beach Resort” had set off a her radar. Loke raised an eyebrow at her. How did she always do that? Did she use her Requip magic to store everything she owned…?

“Chop-chop, no lollygagging!” Erza snapped, plucking the final ticket from Loke’s hands. The immense pile of luggage she was toting drew the attention of her teammates and Lucy’s eyes bugged out of her head. “Now hurry, or I’ll leave you behind.”

“So much stuff…” Lucy seemed to wilt a little at the thought of what it would take to travel with all that luggage. Natsu, on the other hand, was too excited for the upcoming trip to worry about it himself.

“Alright!” he whooped. “I’m ready to go right now! Bring on the beach!”

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Happy agreed readily. He was cheering along with his friend, flying in excited circles above everyone’s heads. Gray huffed irritably.

“Hey, I still need to pack!” he protested, hands on his hips. “You idiots aren’t going anywhere without me. If you even try, I’ll freeze the hot tub the first time you go to take a dip.”

“Is that a threat, popsicle breath?” Natsu snapped, all of a sudden right in Gray’s face. “You wouldn’t DARE!”

“Then don’t leave without me, flame brain!”

“Enough!” Erza pushed between them with ease, and Lucy, who had backed away at the first sign of a fight, relaxed with a quiet sigh.

 

“Since they’re occupied, do you mind if we talk for a minute?”

 

A smooth, familiar voice spoke gentle words right beside her ear, and her breath caught. She turned quickly and found herself face-to-very-close-face with Loke. She hadn’t missed the charm in his tone, the sparkle behind his words...and it took her only a moment to brush it off like usual. He was a charmer, but she wasn’t so easily swayed by his flirtatious habits.

“What about?” she asked. Loke nodded away from the group a little further and she followed, allowing them some semblance of privacy.

“Lucy...I’m always gonna have to live with what happened in the past,” Loke said softly, shoulders hunched slightly and eyes avoiding hers momentarily. The fact that he had been willing to die, willing to give up his life, just to move past it all...it was something they might have to talk about at some point. It couldn’t be avoided. But for now… “...but now I have the courage to start moving forward.” Loke looked up then and met Lucy’s warm gaze. He couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks to you, I’m not just another member of Fairy Tail, I’m your Celestial Spirit. Now that you’re my wizard I promise to always protect you.” He squared his shoulders, grinning more brilliantly. “I’ll be there for you whenever you need me, your valiant knight.”

“But I’m not just your wizard,” Lucy shook her head with a smile. She held up her hand, showing off her Fairy Tail emblem, smiling brightly. “I’m one of your friends, too! Don’t forget that.”

The comment caught him off guard and Loke stumbled over his words.

“Uh–” He blinked, then smiled sheepishly, a soft blush tinging his cheeks. He wasn’t easily flustered, but he would never get used to Lucy’s eager willingness to express how much she cared for her spirits - for her  _ friends. _ It was such a foreign concept, still, the idea that a keyholder didn’t see them as merely tools, but a welcome one nonetheless. It was wonderful. “Yeah, of course!”

“And you may be my knight,” Lucy added, folding her arms over her chest with a smirk, “but I’m still not summoning you for a little while.”

“I know, I know…” Loke let out a dramatic sigh, then shrugged sheepishly. “But don’t wait too long. I’ll be back to my full strength soon enough. I can’t wait to work with ya.” With one more wink, the spirit took a step back, already starting to glow with golden light as he made to leave. “Take care, Lucy.”

“Oh…! Wait!” Lucy reached out to grab his wrist, not letting him leave just yet.

“Hm?”

“Our contract! I wanted to figure out–”

“I told you,” Loke murmured, and Lucy let his wrist go. “I’ll be there whenever you need me. I meant that. Any time of day, any day of the week, feel free to summon me.”

“Really? I wouldn’t want to bother–”

“Yeah, really.” Loke chuckled. “Honestly, Lucy, I mean it. Any time. Besides, I want the excuse to come hang around these clowns more often.”

Loke nodded toward Natsu and Gray and Erza, the latter of whom was now chasing both boys with a sword while they fled for their lives. At some point, it seemed, Gray had already managed to remove most of his clothing as well.

“Are you sure about that?” Lucy asked him. Her tone was teasing. “It might be a good idea to keep your distance. This whole place is kind of crazy.”

“It’s a good kind of crazy,” Loke grinned. Then he winced and grunted, one hand coming up to rub at his head. The beginnings of a headache throbbed into existence and he chuckled. “Heh...guess that’s my cue to leave.”

“I  _ told _ you! You still need to get your strength back!”

“You did.” Loke’s smile softened and his eyes lingered on his Celestial wizard for a long moment. “I’ll see you soon, Lucy.”

“Not too soon,” she reminded. “But...soon.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

With those parting words, Loke blew his new wizard a light-hearted kiss and disappeared in a brilliant display of golden light.


	2. The Top Of Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loke returns home again and attempts to get some rest to speed up his recovery. But it seems like Lucy just can't keep out of danger for more than a few days, can she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few months since I first posted this, huh?
> 
> Well as fun as it can be, sometimes, writing sucks. Writing is literally - the ability to write an entire complex fight scene in one sitting, then getting stuck for WEEKS ON END because you can't get past the sentence "Loke stiffened and flinched at the words." You sit, staring, at your open document, wondering when or how you will ever destroy the block that has paused a chapter that was - up until then - going so, SO well...
> 
> ...I digress. Anyway! Here's Chapter Two!

“A contract?”

“She did?”

“Of course she did. Lucy would make a contract with a stray dog if one happened to come her way.”

The clamor of voices Loke returned to – belonging to Virgo, Aries, and Aquarius in turn – didn’t come as a surprise to him. Though he had been gone for over an hour, mere moments had passed here since his offhand announcement that he was Lucy’s spirit now. And as he stepped fully into his home realm, the familiar sensation of pure celestial power washing over him upon his return was a welcome one.

“If anything, I’m a stray _cat_ ,” Loke commented wryly, striding forward and donning his celestial appearance as he went. A part of him wondered why he had even opted for this “human” look when Lucy had summoned him. Familiarity, perhaps? “Which, by your logic,” he continued with a smirk at Aquarius, “would make you a goldfish she found in a puddle–”

The typhoon that followed made him laugh, and he easily leapt out of the way of the blast with this hands still tucked away in his pockets.

“What?” Loke raised his voice brightly. “I thought that would make you happy! Because–”

The water’s aim swerved toward him and he dove left, using the pillar there to propel himself upward and to the right, arcing gracefully over the stream. He landed lightly in a crouch, his right hand planted firmly on the ground in front of him for balance. He smirked. As the saying went, cats always landed on their feet.

“C’mon, being a goldfish isn’t so bad. Don’t you know? Lucy’s a _wonderful_ master...she takes _very_ good care of her pets~”

At this point, many of the other Zodiac Spirits had backed away to a safe distance, leaving Aquarius free reign to attack the snarky feline with her full, raging fury. And Loke? Loke was enjoying himself.

“Ugh! I’m surrounded by perverts!”

Loke blinked, straightened up, reconsidered what he had said, and lightly pushed his shades up the bridge of his nose.

“Huh. I guess that came out kind of funny, didn’t it…?” he murmured softly, just now noticing the double meaning in his words. A voice cropped up from the next planetoid over, where a handful of spirits had gathered to watch the ongoing battle.

“You’re lucky Princess isn’t here, or she would have punished you for saying such a thing.”

“I don’t doubt it, Virgo,” Loke snickered. “Somehow I get the feeling she’d be more upset at the idea of us being called her ‘pets’. Still...I didn’t mean it _that_ way.”

“You knew exactly what you were saying, Leo, don’t deny it!” Aquarius sneered, taking advantage of the lion’s momentary distraction to send a tidal wave surging across the planet’s surface. Loke gasped and leapt skyward, using the unusual gravity to his advantage, and by the time he had landed neatly on the neighboring planet Aquarius had already encompassed the first one in a good few feet of churning water and crashing waves.

In the background, three score cards were held in the air. Taurus and Sagittarius gave him nines. Virgo scored him a perfect ten. Loke snickered.

“Looks like I’m the crowd favorite,” he winked. “You know how it goes. It’s the cunning cat that catches the helpless little fish, not the other way arou–”

He cut off when he saw Aquarius holding her water jug aloft, a fire in her gaze as she squared its aim on him. He gulped. This time, Loke didn’t attempt to dodge. He didn’t even have the time to try. Instead, he thrust both of his fists forward and pressed them together side-by-side. An intense glow surrounded his clenched hands, and just as the powerful stream of water was about to make impact he let loose a pulsing wave of Light magic that met Aquarius’ attack head on. The water dispersed and went around him but the force of the impact made him stumble, made his magic waiver, made him wince and grunt from the effort. It was taking a lot more out of him than he had expected it to – and when a throbbing headache caused him to lose his focus, that was all she wrote.

Loke's magic faltered, his vision swam, and Aquarius finally managed to get in a hit. The lion went flying, tumbling across the planetoid’s surface until he came to a somewhat painful stop against an outcropping of blue rock.

“Leo!”

Aries’ voice sounded like it was coming to him from the other end of a ringing tunnel. Sitting up came as a struggle because the moment he tried, the whole world seemed to spin and his head throbbed painfully.

“Damn it...” he mumbled, opting to stay on the ground. He was flat on his back now with his palms pressed against his eyelids in an attempt to alleviate his raging headache. The blue shades he normally wore were abandoned on the ground a few feet away...and he had no intention of retrieving them anytime soon.

“Leo? Are you alright?” When had Aries gotten so close? He felt her rest a hand on his shoulder then withdraw it skittishly. Loke pulled on a smile.

“Yeah…’m fine,” he grumbled, sounding winded. “Ouch.” He let his hands fall to his sides and opened his eyes, grateful, at least, that the spinning world had finally come to a stop. Aries came into view, a rare expression of anger and confidence on her face, aimed toward somebody Loke couldn’t see.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Tch, he deserved it,” Aquarius muttered from somewhere a little ways away.

“...yeah, alright, I kind of did,” Loke snickered wearily, stopping whatever feeble argument Aries may have been preparing. He fought his way into a semi-upright position, leaning sideways on the boulders he had been thrown up against. It took him a moment to catch his breath fully. “Guess I’m still recovering,” he said sheepishly. Aries was wringing her hands in her lap, looking concerned, and Loke tried to reassure her with a smile.

“Of course you are, man,” Scorpio nodded. He was grinning with his arms folded over his chest. “You were in the human world for...what, how long was it?”

Loke winced. He almost didn’t answer, but after a long pause…

“...three years.”

A few spirits gasped. Aries’ hands flew to her mouth. Taurus actually dropped his axe and the two halves of Gemini clung to each other in midair. Loke bowed his head and let his hair fall forward to hide his face somewhat.

“Th-Three–” Aries squeaked. Her eyes were wide as saucers. “I never…th-thought…never did the m-math…”

“Three years is a considerable time, big brother,” Virgo said in her ever even tone. She seemed, externally, entirely unphased by the news...but then again her expression never changed much.

“Nah, it wasn’t so bad,” Loke lied easily. He still refused to look at his friends. “Once I got used to it, I was alright. Until it got closer to the end, but at that point...” He trailed off. At that point he was ready to greet death with open arms, and he was accepting every ounce of pain as part of his punishment for what happened to his previous master. At that point, he didn’t care that it hurt. No...his eyes futtered closed...no, that was a lie. He cared. He cared that it was hurting him. In fact he thought it was better. A painful death was better than a painless one after what he had done.

_“It wasn’t your fault, Loke. What happened to Karen was an accident. She died because she took on a job she couldn’t handle. You disappearing isn’t going to bring Karen back to life...all it’s gonna do is create more sadness.”_

A voice that sounded a lot like Lucy rang through his mind and his thoughts stilled. His left hand curled into a fist against the ground, leaving little tracks in the dirt beneath his fingertips. The words were familiar…and they reminded him, again, of what he had promised. He had a purpose now and he wasn’t about to let Lucy down. He would hate to disappoint her. With a long sigh he reached out with his right hand to grip at the boulder he was using for support, dragging himself up onto shaky footing.

“Anyway.” Showing more confidence and strength and optimism than he was truly feeling, Loke tucked his hands away in his pockets and adopted a casual stance. “I should go rest. Lucy told me to...and we would all hate to disappoint her.” A smile graced his features with the fainted threads of tension and exhaustion lacing it together. “I want to be ready if she needs me.”

Loke could feel eyes on him as he departed and it took some effort to maintain a composed posture while he did so. He was exhausted, more so than he had thought, but he wasn’t about to let his fellow spirits see it. They didn’t need to worry about him any more than they already had. Besides...now that he was back in the spirit world...he’d be back to normal soon enough. It wouldn’t be too long before he was back by Lucy’s side and fighting for his new wizard.

His archway appeared not too far away, the one that would bring him to his home – and as soon as he was through it he let his shoulders drop. He swayed a little on the spot and took a deep breath. Rest. He needed to rest. As much as he had teased Lucy and told her he was fine, he knew it would take quite a bit of recuperation for him to recover after being severed from the spirit world for so long. Even _standing_ in the realm he belonged in was helping (with every passing second he could feel more celestial magic flowing into him, healing him) but he knew he would be back to normal faster if he slept. A few hours...surely that would be alright? It would only be about a week and a half Earthland time, two weeks at most. How much trouble could Lucy really get into in a week at a beach resort?

 

 

 

An hour. That was the only sleep Loke actually got. When he awoke with a start in the dark bedroom of his home, he didn’t know why he had awoken in the first place. His breathing and heart rate were quick and heavy as though he had been startled, scared by something. A nightmare…? Loke sat up and ran a hand through his hair. He allowed himself a brief glance toward his clock, then let his eyes drift shut while he settled his racing heart and caught his breath. Probably a nightmare. He rarely had them anymore, far less frequent than they had been immediately after Karen’s death...but then again, he had almost died himself recently. Reliving old, painful memories could reopen old wounds like you wouldn’t believe. With this thought in mind, Loke had half a mind to try and get some more sleep...but there was a small, irksome part of his brain that whispered of it being more than a nightmare. More troubling, more concerning.

It was almost as an afterthought that he mentally reached out along his link to his wizard, seeking out the part of his magic and mind that was “Lucy”. His contract. His keyholder. It was then, in doing so, that he became fully awake and alert all at once.

_Distress, panic, worry, desperation, frustration–_

It wasn’t his own. None of those feelings were his own. They were coming from Lucy. Had his previous bonds felt this strong before…? He didn’t know, couldn’t remember...it had been so long… He pushed the thought aside. Lucy was in distress. Despite knowing that he should be resting, Loke was out of his bed in a heartbeat and tugging on a shirt, summoning an archway to step through. He came out on the other side on a large planetoid with a giant, intricate stone basin set in the center of a garden. The basin was at least a yard and a half across and filled with a shimmering, silvery-blue semi-liquid that shifted and caught the light beautifully as though it had a life of its own.

The Gazing Pool.

A way for spirits to check in on their wizards, to catch brief glances of their lives. To make sure they were alright.

“Let me see Lucy,” Loke said quickly the moment he was close enough. The pool rippled and swirled before drawing an image to the surface. It wasn’t a live feed, it wouldn’t possibly be. Every second in the Celestial world was worth ninety seconds in Earthland...so all he got to see were rushed moments and snapshots from moments that, in the other world, stood half minutes apart. Brief, rapid glances at life in the human world, enough to give him the gist of what was happening. And what he saw – he didn’t like it one bit. He didn’t know where Lucy was, but it definitely wasn’t the Akane Beach resort. She was facing off in a battle against some sort of heavy metal rockstar wizard and a woman with blue hair – a woman who looked familiar, and Loke couldn’t quite pinpoint how he knew her. Who…? Then the next moment she was attacking Lucy with a flood of water, and Loke’s fists clenched on the edge of the basin, jaw tensed and eyes narrowed once he realized who exactly she was.

Juvia Lockser. She had been with Phantom Lord, the Element Four. They had hurt Lucy in ways that still made his blood boil just thinking about….what in the hell was Juvia doing with Lucy now? In a moment of determination, Loke drew on his magic with the intent of opening his own gate and coming to his wizard’s aid.  
  
But it didn’t open.

Loke’s eyes widened a fraction and he sucked in a breath. He wasn’t strong enough. He wasn’t yet at his full strength. He wasn’t even close, if he was being honest with himself – but he tried again anyway, pushing himself, trying to get his gate to open. Trying to get to Lucy. He wasn’t even watching the Gazing Pool anymore, too set on his mission, too determined. He had promised to keep her safe, hadn’t he? He had promised to fight for her and protect her…and even though he knew, logically, that he really didn’t have the strength for a proper fight right now he still felt as though he was breaking that promise by standing by and watching and being unable to do a thing.

So he tried again and again and again, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut, putting all he had into his attempt – and precious seconds ticked past.

“Leo, man, what are you doin’ out here?”

Loke’s head snapped up at the sounds of Scorpio’s voice.

“Shouldn’t you be restin’ up? You look exhausted, dude–”

Did he? Loke raised a hand to run it through his hair and he could feel beads of sweat slipping down his forehead.

“I...I was. But I was woken up. Lucy–”

“Ah, yeah, she’s battlin’ it out right now, right?” Scorpio nodded, sparing a glance toward the pool and strolling closer. “Matter of fact I was comin’ out here to check it out. My girl got summoned into the fray. Wicked, man.”

He shot Loke a bright, almost proud grin, and somehow Scorpio’s words cut through some of the concern Loke was still holding for Lucy. If she had summoned Aquarius, then...well. Things could be taking a turn for the better.

“Good,” he muttered in an undertone. His eyes stayed locked on the pool. Sure enough, Aquarius had shown up in the image, in all her raging, angry glory. Good. She was a strong spirit. Surely she could keep Lucy safe.

“You sure you’re alright man?”

Loke dragged his gaze back up to Scorpio, who was watching him with a raised eyebrow. Loke smiled weakly. Leave it to his oldest friend to be able to read him like a book.

“Worried. That’s all.”

“Heh. That’s ‘all’, sure.” Scorpio snickered and folded his arms over his chest, his tail flicking in the air. “I think ‘worried’ might be the understatement of the century, dude. You look downright wicked scary focussed right now. I mean, like, Super Serious Mode engaged or someshit.”

Loke managed a huffed half laugh.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he murmured. “I just want Lucy to be okay.”

Scorpio hummed and nodded, still watching him. They were both quiet for a long moment after that. Loke watched as the battle ended, as Lucy and Juvia performed a Unison Raid – had they somehow been on the same side during this battle? What had he missed since he had left Earthland? It hadn’t even been that long... – watched as they won. Through his link to her, Loke could feel Lucy’s exhaustion alongside his own. He could feel her happiness and relief and satisfaction, and he admitted to himself that as much of that relief was his own as it was hers. He let out the breath he didn’t know he had been holding and his hands loosened their tense grip on the basin as he supported his weight against its edge.

“Leo,” Scorpio spoke up again. “I think it’s more ‘n just wanting Lucy to win. Yeah?”

Loke dragged his eyes from the basin to meet his friend’s gaze. He had an eyebrow raised and a knowing look on his face. Somehow Loke had the feeling Scorpio hadn’t bothered watching the fight much, opting instead to focus on _him_. He searched the scorpion’s eyes before quirking his own eyebrow in return.

“Yeah?” he repeated. What did Scorpio mean by that?

“Yeah.” Scorpio nodded and tilted his head to the side. “You and Lucy were already friends, weren’t you? Before, I mean.”

“Before...our contract?” Loke asked. He nodded, dragging a tired hand over his face but not wanting to leave the Gazing Pool yet. His eyes flickered to its surface again but not much was happening. Good. “Yeah. For a while. We weren’t really ‘friends’ but we’ve been guildmates for a few months.”

“Yeah,” Scorpio said again. He nodded slowly. “‘Cause like - I can see it. So I _get_ \- ya know - wanting a friend to be safe. I get that. But,” Scorpio tilted his head toward Loke a little, “it’s more than that, man.”

“Oh is it now?” Loke smirked softly. Where was Scorpio even going with this?

“Yeah dude. ‘Cause that look you had, watchin’ her fight? That was more ‘n worry. You looked _scared_ , man. Super scared.” He shrugged. His tail shifted in the air behind him. “Sure, you’re probably worried ‘bout your wizard too. Hell, aren’t we all? Even though she’s not the nicest, if Angel died I’d still be crazy upset, man. But I think...after what happened to Karen, you’re also wicked scared of seein’ another of your keyholders die.”

Loke stiffened and flinched at the words. It didn’t even take a moment for him to realize Scorpio had hit the nail straight on the head.

“...what do you know about what happened to Karen?” he asked in lieu of confirmation, his voice in an undertone. “How much does everyone know?”

“Honestly?” Scorpio folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the edge of the Gazing Pool, his tail automatically shifting out of the way. “The basics, mostly. Karen summoned Aries, you forced a swap. At first when you didn’t come back for a while, we kinda started to worry, man. We only knew you were stayin’ in Earthland _way_ longer than you shoulda been. Aries said you saved her, but we didn’t know what that really meant at first. ‘Cause we didn’t hear what you were doin’ until other spirits started comin’ back from the human world sayin’ you were refusing to return. Which – dude. That’s wicked scary to try an’ do, man. Stayin’ for more than a day can _kill_ some of the weaker spirits.”

Loke winced and looked away. Scorpio continued.

“Anyway. A whole day passes here an’ nobody knows when you’re comin’ back – and then Aries starts freakin’ out, saying Karen’s dead, and next thing we know the Spirit King announces your banishment. Aries tried to argue against it but – well. The King’s word is law.” Scorpio eyed his friend silently for a long moment. “...man...what even happened out there?”

Loke didn’t say anything at first. His eyes lingered on Lucy in the Gazing Pool, watching as she and Juvia moved through a decrepit looking tower of some kind that he didn’t recognize. Had people really not known the reasoning behind his actions?

“You remember...how we used to talk about Karen’s treatment of her Spirits?” he spoke up after a few minutes, voice low. “Everyone kind of knew that she treated us like objects, Aries worst of all. Summoned us into battle to serve as a quick shield and let us take the hit.”

“I remember.” Scorpio’s eyes had darkened. “Aries said she was gonna hurt her before you swapped places.”

“Aries wasn’t wrong.” Loke gritted his teeth, jaw tense. He rested his elbows on the Pool’s rim and buried his face in his hands, running his fingers through his mane. “She was going to trap Aries in the human world for a week as punishment, just because she thought Aries had gone to the guildmaster to complain about our treatment. But Aries didn’t even _have_ to say anything. Anyone could notice how horribly Karen treated us! It wasn’t like she was keeping it a secret–” The lion snarled and broke off, shaking his head and tugging at his own hair where his fingers were still tangled. “So I _had_ to do something! I switched with Aries because I could feel Karen’s anger. I knew she had just summoned Aries, and I was worried that – well. Turns out I was right. And when Karen refused to stop treating us like tools and playthings, I gave her an ultimatum. I wouldn’t leave the human world until she agreed to sever her contracts with Aries and I.”

“Dude…” Scorpio stood up a little straighter where he was leaning against the Pool. His eyes widened a fraction. “Seriously?”

“Dead serious.” Loke dragged himself upward to offer his friend a weak smile. “Looking back it was...kind of reckless.”

“No shit, man!” Scorpio shook his head slowly in awe. “That takes some serious guts, my dude.”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time!” Loke defended, smile brightening ever-so-slightly. Scorpio tended to have that effect. He was a crazy Spirit with a bright and equally crazy attitude, his energy infectious. It was part of the reason the two were such good friends. “Obviously, I wasn’t really thinking it through. But once I’d made up my mind I wasn’t about to cave easily. So I waited. I thought it would only take about a week, maybe two, before Karen gave in.” He sighed, his smile fading again. “I was wrong. She was more determined to keep her strongest spirits under her control than I had realized. Day after day, she’d come to me and try to convince me to go back to the Celestial World. Some days she screamed at me, furious. Other days she was on her knees begging. But not once did she even consider trying to change her ways.

“At some point I had been willing to accept staying her spirit if she honestly wanted to _try_ and be kinder to us, try to view us as more than tools, but...well. After a few weeks of selfish intentions, my resolve hardened. If she didn’t let us go, I wouldn’t give in. Easy as that. Except…”

“Except she lasted a hell of a lot longer ‘n you thought she would?” Scorpio guessed.

“She had a hell of a lot more _stubbornness_ in her than I thought,” Loke agreed, then added, “More than me, it seems.”

“And that’s saying something.”

Loke blinked, somewhat offended but amused, and slowly looked up to Scorpio to protest. The words were almost out of his mouth when he caught sight of the other Spirit’s humorous and bright expression, his shit-eating grin. Loke huffed out a laugh, soft and genuine.

“Shut up.”

“Nah man,” Scorpio snickered. “ _Some_ body’s gotta keep that inflated ego of yours under control, amiright?”

“Hey! I do _not_ have–”

“Says the man who claims he’s _never_ had bad luck with a lady.”

“That’s just stating facts.” Loke winked and flashed a cocky grin at his friend, who let out a short laugh.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Leo.”

Loke laughed a little in response, then he tried to drag himself back to his own story.

“...so. She was stubborn. And three whole months passed by of her _refusing_ my demands, and by then I had gotten used to being in Earthland. It didn’t bother me anymore, just a dull hum of irritation floating at the back of my head.” And a dull, minute ache that lingered in his bones, but he didn’t bother bringing it up. “It had been so long...so I thought maybe I’d give in. I’d go back, forgive Karen. Return home. I had stayed long enough. And if she ever hurt Aries again I could always threaten the do very same thing as before and maybe she’d cave the second time.”

Loke glanced briefly to Scorpio. His expression wavered and he bowed his head, his hair falling forward to obscure his face from view and his shoulders curving inward slightly. What had happened after this point...as many times as people would tell him it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t help but feel that it _was_. He had pushed Karen too far, had given her no direction to run but straight to her own death. Loke’s fists clenched where they rested against the inner edge of the Gazing Pool’s basin.

“...before...before I got the chance to talk to her, to tell her I was leaving…” His words trailed off, and when he next spoke it was on a breath, almost as though a part of him didn’t actually want Scorpio to hear what was being said. “...she had died. And I’d spent so long blocking my bond to her that – that I hadn’t even felt it break. I’d felt _nothing_. And when they told me she was gone, I reached out for it, looking for proof…” Loke felt rather than saw Scorpio’s sympathetic wince. They had all, at one point or another, felt what it was like for their keyholder to die. Severing a contract was one thing; all it did was close off the bond as though it had never been there in the first place. But when the wizard you were bound to lost their life...it wasn’t the same. For a short while afterwards, the bond remained, but it was cold and broken and achingly, painfully empty, a mental void. It was a sore scar that took a little time to heal.

Along with the pain of being banished from the Celestial World and staying in a world that was slowly killing him, it was the combination of the broken bond and his own horribly lingering guilt that had driven Leo to distraction, drove him to seek out any way to dull his thoughts and feelings. Girls and drinking and cocky flirtations, snarky jokes and cheesy pickup lines. Learning new magic, joining a guild. All ways to try and keep his mind off of what had happened.

A hand on his shoulder made Loke jump, made him snap his head up to seek out Scorpio’s gaze. His friend’s expression was awash with sympathy, a half-grin lingering on his face.

“I knew you couldn’t be holdin’ up as well as you were pretendin’, man,” the Spirit shook his head with a knowing chuckle. “You stick on that cheesy smile and act all strong, just ‘cause you’re our ‘Fearless Leader’. I’ve known you too long to get fooled by that, dude. Aries too. She told me she was worried, an’ now I can see why. You’ve been through some wicked tough shit.”

“Aries is worried about me?” Loke furrowed his brow. He hadn’t wanted to worry her. She was already guilty enough as it was for something that had never been her fault to begin with. Scorpio rolled his eyes.

“Dude, she’s _always_ worryin’ about you. Like that’s anything new. She’s got a big heart, remember.”

Loke nodded minutely. He did remember. She was one of the kindest Spirits that existed.

“...can you tell her not to worry too much?” Loke asked. “Tell her I’m alright. If she heard it from you she might be more likely to believe it.”

“So basically, lie? Because you are _not_ alright and you know it.”

Loke winced.

“It would help her to hear it though.”

“True that.”

Scorpio looked down to the Gazing Pool where the view of Lucy still remained, and Loke followed his gaze. She was sitting in a boat now, along with Juvia, Gray, and a handful of wizards he didn’t recognize. They all looked a little worse for wear, and Gray was clutching his arm as though it was injured. What the hell had they been doing, if not spending time at the Resort? An unnecessarily tall tower loomed in the distance. Where were they?

“Leo.”

“Hm…?”

“Go to bed, man.”

Loke blinked away from the scene in the Pool and stared at Scorpio in disbelief.

“What?”

“Go. To. Bed. You look like hell. You ain’t gonna get any better if you’re dead on your feet.”

“But–” he gestured to the Gazing Pool.

“Lucy’s fine, see?” Scorpio told him. “Look. They’re leaving whatever wicked hellhole they got themselves into, right?”

“Scorpio…”

“Nuh-uh.” Scorpio grabbed Loke by the shoulders and tugged him away from the Pool, steering him bodily down the path that led out of the gardens surrounding it.

“Hey! No, I need–”

“To sleep. Fearless leader or not, you’re no use to anybody, let alone your chick Lucy, if you look like death on legs. Go. She’s fine. And if, stars forbid, anything goes _really_ wrong she’s got Aquarius...an’ as much as my girl gets annoyed by her keyholder she isn’t about to let Lucy die. Right?”

“...right.” Loke huffed and tugged away from his friend’s grip. “I can handle the rest of the way back myself.”

Scorpio pointed at him accusingly, eye narrows and grin wicked.

“You’d better _actually_ go home, Leo. Seriously. Promise me. I’ll stay guard at this damned Pool for, like, an hour to make sure you don’t come back.”

Despite his frustration and exhaustion, and despite the stress dragging through him, Loke actually managed a genuine laugh.

“Alright, alright! I promise. I’ll sleep. Just–” A pause, and the slightest waver in his smile. “–let me know what happens?”

Scorpio let his hands drop to his hips, his tail twitching behind him and his smile reaching his eyes.

“Sure thing, man. You got it.”

“Thanks.”

With a halfhearted wave, Loke summoned an archway home and fell into bed. He tried, again, to get some decent sleep – and this time he actually got it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank for reading! Let me know what you think!
> 
> I kind of took some liberties with Scorpio's character. We don't get to see too much of him in the anime, and I only own the first book in the manga so any bonus mentions of him there have remained unseen by me. But I do hope I did him justice. If there's any sort of discrepancy with his character, let me know, because I'd much rather improve what I've written than leave a character decidedly OOC.
> 
> Anyway! I figured Loke is probably friends with more than just Aries or Virgo, so I've been wondering about how he interacts with the other Zodiac Spirits. Scorpio seemed like a guy he'd get along with so...here we are! 
> 
> Once again, the title of the chapter came from a song on my playlist. This one belongs to a song called "The Top Of Memory Lane" by Lenka, and unlike the last chapter the lyrics actually seem to fit this moment fairly well. I definitely recommend looking it up.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Honestly, I love Loke so much as a character, and I love the relationship between him and Lucy just as much. I wish it were canon...but...ah well. Regardless. This will, for the most part, follow the path of the original story...but with some changes. It won't be a written version of the script, don't worry! Though some scenes will be quoted, I'm more curious about the scenes we didn't see, the moments between missions and beyond the main plot that was shown. Much like this chapter....because we never saw how Loke reacted to finally being allowed to return to his home, to his family, after three long, painful years of exile.
> 
> I'll just have to see where this story takes me. ;)
> 
> On a side note, the title of this chapter was inspired by a song I've been listening to a lot recently, "How To Return Home" by Kerrigan-Lowdermilk. While the lyrics might not have had much influence on the writing, the title of the song was too perfect not to use.


End file.
